Will Netanyahu’s gov’t break up over the hostage deal? Ben Gvir declares he’ll leave, while Smotrich appears appeased

After two party heads initially threatened to leave the Israeli government coalition if the hostage deal with Hamas goes through, it appears that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu managed to split them apart and, for the moment, ensure the stability of his government.

The more aggressive of the two, National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party head Itamar Ben Gvir, declared on Thursday that if the hostage deal would be approved, “we will hand in letters of resignation and will not be part of the government.”

Ben Gvir reiterated that the deal was “reckless,” leading to the release of “hundreds of murderous terrorists, the return of thousands of terrorists to the north of the Gaza Strip, a withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor” and “will in fact erase the achievements of the war.”

“When you see the jubilation of the Hamas supporter [Hadash party head] Ayman Odeh, the dancing in Gaza, the celebrations in the villages in Judea and Samaria – you understand which side surrendered in this deal,” Ben Gvir said.

He called on Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism Party and Likud members to join him, while adding that he would be open to return to the government once the war continued.

Ben Gvir also noted that “Otzma Yehudit under my leadership will not overthrow Netanyahu, nor will it act together with the left and its goals against the government.”

The Likud Party hit back by stating, “Whoever dissolves the right-wing government will be remembered in eternal shame.”

“Contrary to Ben Gvir's words – the existing deal allows Israel to return to fighting under American guarantee, receive weapons and means of warfare it needs, maximize the number of live hostages to be be released, maintain full control of the Philadelphi Corridor and the security buffer around the entire Gaza Strip, and to achieve dramatic security achievements that will guarantee Israel's security for generations.”

Several hours after his announcement, the Prime Minister’s Office declared the deal had been signed and would be presented to the cabinet and the government for approval later on Friday.

While the government has enough Knesset seats to survive without Ben Gvir, if Smotrich or several other Knesset Members were to join him, the coalition would collapse.

The deal is expected to be approved even if the coalition were to lose its majority, as several opposition leaders have offered to support any deal to release the hostages from outside the government.

Smotrich and Netanyahu have reportedly met at least six times over the past two days in order to reach an agreement regarding the hostage deal, with Smotrich demanding guarantees from the new Trump administration that Israel will have the right to resume the fighting, as well as the continued control of humanitarian aid by the IDF.

Friday morning, Ynet News reported there was “progress” in the talks, and that Smotrich was now expecting his demands to be included in the cabinet’s approval of the hostage deal.

Unlike Ben Gvir, Smotrich had not declared he would leave the government if any kind of deal were signed, and instead presented Netanyahu with several conditions under which his party would stay.

“I won't be in the government for one day if we don't return to fight until victory. Whoever kidnaps hostages should die, and immediately after the release, we should come back and destroy him,” Smotrich said Thursday.